Mail-box



M. D. MCMILLAN.

MAIL BOX. APPLICATION msn APR. r2, 19:9.

Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Giro: nel,

PATENT OFFICE.

MALCOLM D. MGMILLAN, 0F MARCY, MINNESOTA.

MAIL-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

Application flled April 12,- 1919. Serial No. 289,574.

7 1o all whom t may com/161m:

Be it known that I, MALCOLM D. MCMIL- LAN, a citizen of Canada, residing at Marcy, in the county of Lake and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention comprehends generally improvements in that class of inventions known as deposit and collecting receptacles andmore particularly relates to an improved mail box.

It is the primary aim and object of this invention to provide a device of the above mentioned character of that type which are stationed along a rural delivery route and situated a considerable distance from the house of the owner thereof and designed to indicate as by an alarm and the signal of the presence of mail in the box.

As an additional and equally important object this invention contemplates the provision of a device of the above mentioned character wherein electrical contacts are operably mounted in the body of the box and normally arranged in an inactive position but upon the placing of mail inthe box the contacts are designed to close the circuit of which a bell positioned in the house forms a part, thereby ringing the bell and indicating to the people in the house of the presence of mail in the box.

More particularly the present invention contemplatesk the provision of a device of the above mentioned character provided with a false bottom carrying a contact and which is operably connected with the indicating flag so as to be held in a raised nonindicating position by the resilient means which holds the flag while coacting therewith is a weight which is operably connected to the door and normally arranged through slots in the false bottom to contact with the main bottom when there is no mail in the box but upon the placing of mail in the box between the weight and bottom the weight is designed to simultaneously close the circuit and sound the alarm and move the indicating flag against the tension of the resilient means into an upright indicating position.

Among the other aims and objects of this invention may. be recited the provision of a device of the above mentioned character wherein the number ofV parts are comparatively few, the construction simple, the cost of pro duct-ion low and the eiliciency high.

Other objects, as well as. the nature, characteristic features and scope of this invention will be more readily apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims, forming a part of this specification. l

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view of the invention,

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the invention,

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the improved mail box, and

Fig. 4 is a perspective detail of the false bottom or contact plates.

Similar' characters of reference are employed in all of the above described views. to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now, more particularly, to the accompanying drawings there is provided an improved mail box consisting of a substantially rectangular body 1 the front end of which is open and is removably closed by a door 2 swingably connected to one edge of one of the side walls as by hinges 3 and removably held in such closed position by fastening means such as. a hasp 4 which is movably connected to the door as at 5 designed for engagement with a keeper 6 carried by the adjacent end of the other side of the body. The bottom of the body is provided medially of its ends and sides with a longitudinal slot 7 while the under surface is provided with a transverse recess 8 which intersects the slot while anchored in this recess is a leaf spring contact 9 held by a suitable fastener 10. In addition, the under surface of the body is lprovided with a cover plate 11 rigidly secured thereto and having the leaf contact in yielding engagement therewith as indicated in Fig. 3.

The innerfsurfaces of the side walls of the body' 1 are provided with opposed vertically disposed and relatively wide recesses 12 coveredi by guides 13 in the form of vertically disposed plates 14 provided with opposed vertical slots 15, the plates or guides being anchored as by a fastener 16. In addition, these plates are provided at their lower edges on'opposite sides ofthe slots 15 with relatively short vertical slots 17, for a purpose that Will hereinater appear.

Movably mounted above the upper surface ot' the bottom or the body is the improved false bottom or contact plate indicated. in its entirety by the numeral 18 formed desirably of metal and ot' a rectangular configuration and provided near its end edges and inedially ot its ends Withtransverse slots 19. in open rectangular trame 2O is carried transversely of the under surface ot the plate i8, the side bars ot the traine extending beyond the side edges ot the plate and arranged in the recesses l2 and in the slots 1T in the guides 13, the end bars of the plate beingarranged in a substantially inverted tf-torni in elevation and have connected thereto the loiver ends ot suitable flexible elements such as cables The upper ends ot these cables are connected to and Windable partially about spaced drums in'turn carried by atransverse shaft QiifV the ends oft which are journaled in the sides of tl body near the top as indicated in the drawings.

The improved indicating; means i-n the present instance consists of a lia g 25 the steif 26 ot which fastens as 27 to one projecting end of the shaft 24. Now in order to normally hold the in a non-.indicating position, suitable resilient means such as coiled contractile spring- Q8 is employed, the respective ends being; secured to the body and to the flag stati tensionet to normally hold the dan in a hor :ontal position and inasmuch as this staiA is connected to the shaft Q4, the upper portions et the cable 22 vvill be held partly wound about the drinn 23 and in consequence Will maintain the false bottoni or Contact plate 18 in a.

raised position, the upward movement of which is limited by the adjusting' portions ot the side bars contacting' with the upper ends of the slots 17. The trame mentioned carries a U-shaped Contact which of course is normally held raised and is designed to coact vith the lea; spring' contact il for the closing' the circuit and the sounding of an alarm in a manner tl it will hereinafter become apparent.

Cooperating' With the secondary bottom or contact plate 18 is a Weightgenerally indicated by the numeral 30 the b'ottoin being in a substantially rectangular platedilre term and fitted transversely at its under surface and near its respective ends and medially of its ends with el-shaped supports or legs Sldesigned to register with the transverse slots 19 so as to pass therethrough and contact with the main bottom ot the box for supporting` ot the Weight in an elevated position. Opposed tongues 32 project trom the opposite side edges ot the plate-like body of the Weight and are-operably arranged in the slots 15 in the guides 13. New, when operably connecting t e Weight with the door so that the weight Will be raised upon the opening of the door, suitable tlexiblc means in the torni o a cable 33 is employed, the main portion being trained about apulley Se which is operably mounted in a depending; bracket on the top of the body7 one eno. oi the cable beinpr connected as at to the. door .vhile the opposite end is branched as at 3.7 and these lranches are connected as at 3S to the upper surface of the body et the Weight 30 and by this arrangement it is apparent that when the door inoved to an open position a pull will he exerted on the cable 33 so as to consiL i c Weight 30 upvva 'illy lrom the upward tongues tact plate y guided by the which operate in the slots l5.

The circuit inentionet` preferably consists ot conducting vfires in which are inten posed an alarm such a bell l0 and a suitable source oit energy such as batteries Lll, the bell and batteries being mounted or positioned in the house while fb, conducting Wires 39 are grounded as at 42 and 43 rcspectively to the Contact plate 18 and to the 7 ottoni ll and consequently the spring con tact 9. lllhen the box is empty, the Weight is supported in an elevated position above the bottom ot the box upon the legs 3l which extend throng-h the slots i9, thereby permitting the plate 1S to remain in such elevated position to which it is elevated by the spring actino' to turn the shalt 2i and Wind thc ln th el ted positmi,

cables the 'act member Q9 is retained in spaced rel tion to the contact member 9 and thc electrical circuit to the alarm device 40 broken.

The inode oli operation of the present in- \.ention Inav be rcviewei'l as tollrnvs:

)l suuiin u that the 1-ilcd in the cated in the draiyin opening' the door Q s e the latter i1 and when Jr'l will ot couV 1c 1n fe 4l fil will be pre-ve f i or supper in ai n tactine 'h the upper surta boltoin o will o i v` downwardly univindina the ca i the drinn 22:3 thereby roclinrf or cat-inn' the sl -land iv 2G against the tension ot the spring? v so cansino the contact to engage the on `act 9 anf` close the circuit .van na rti a liv the alarm .su-h

. e() in the house inilicatinf7 to the ,ed

. :ing the flee ple in the house of the presence of mail in the box. Incidentally, the flag staff being in a vertical indicating position will indicate to a person not inthe house of the presence of mail.

lt is believed in view of the foregoing description that a further detailed description of the operation of the invention is entirely unnecessary. Likewise, it is believed that the advantages of the invention will be readily apparent.

Still further embodiments of the invention than those herein especially defined may be resorted to as conditions or preference may dictate, as may be in keeping with the hereto appended claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

l. A mailbox including a body, `an electrical contact carried thereby, a secondary bottom plateI having a contact thereon and provided with slots, resilient means for normally holding the bottom plate above the bottom of the body, and a weight composed ot a body and supports depending therefrom and normally disposed through the slots and contacting with the bottom.

Q. A mail box including a body having an electrical contact on the bottom thereof, a plate serving as an electrical contact and a Inail receiver yieldingly mounted in spaced relation to the bottom of the body, and a weight having supports depending therefrom and normali" arranged through the plate when no mail is on the plate but acting against mail which is adapted to be disposed on the plate to force the plate downwardly and cause the contacts to engage each other.

8. A mail box including a body, a. door movably connected thereto, an electrical contact carried by the bottom of the body, a movable contact member arranged above the bottom of the body and having slots therein, resilient means for normally holding the movable member in a raised position` a weight lying over the movable member and having depending supports normally arranged through the slots in the movable member and contacting with the bottom of the body, and flexible connection means between the weight and the door for raising the weight upon the opening of the door so that mail may be inserted between the movable member and the weight to prevent contact of the weight with the bottom of the body and in consequence cause the member to move downwardly to engage the contact on the bottom of the body.

4. A mail box including a body, a door niovably connected thereto, a contact carried by the bottom of the body, a movable Contact member arranged above the bottom of the body and having slots therein, a pivoted indicator on the body and operably connected with the movable contact member, resilient means for normally holding the 'indicator in a non-indicating position and the movable member in a raised-position, a weight lying over the movable member and having depending supports normally arranged through the vslots on the movable member and contacting with the bottom of the body, flexible connecting means between the weight and the door for raising the weight upon the opening of the door so that mail may be inserted between the movable member and the weight to prevent contact of the weight with the bottom of the body and in consequence cause the member to move downwardly and engage the contact on the bottom of the body and also raise the indicator against the tension of the resilient means.

5. A mail box including a body, an article supporting plate yieldably supported in an elevated position therein, relatively stationary and movable circuit closing members carried by the body and plate, respectively, and a weight arranged to be normally supported upon the body independently of the plate and adapted, upon application of an article to the plate, to exert pressure thereon and effect contact of the circuit closing members.

6. A mail box comprising a body, an article supporting plate yieldably supported in an elevated position, relatively stationary and movable circuit closing members carried by the body alnd plate, respectively, a weight arranged to be normally supported upon the body independently of the plate, and adapted, upon application of an article to the plate, to exert pressure thereon and effect Contact of the circuit closing members, a door for said body, and means connecting said door with the weight whereby the latter is elevated upon opening of the door.

In testimony whereoi` I ailix my signature hereto.

MALCOLM D. MCMILLAN. 

